An Unexpected Visit
by TeamUnitedNerds
Summary: Marceline's grandfather pays her a visit


Marceline looked terribly frustrated as she sat next to her dad. This was Thanksgiving, or, at least Hunson's interpretation of Thanksgiving based off of what little he listened to Marceline tell him about the outside world before the war. Hunson's version of the holiday was him and his daughter sitting at a table together, not speaking. He remembered something about a Turkey, although he wasn't sure what that was, exactly, so the table was completely bare. Hunson would sometimes let out a grunt, in some hope that Marceline would respond, and break the awkward tension, but she never did. Hunson sighed, just as an unexpected visitor walked from a fiery hole that appeared in one of the walls.

Out of it came an old man, short and round. He was balding, a majority of his white hair around his pointed ears. His skin was a dark-greyish blue, and his eyes were pale green with rectangular red pupils. His mouth was lined with rows of sharp, yellowed teeth, and he wore a red vest over a tunic that was a deeper shade. He was Hexon Abadeer, Marceline's grandfather. Marceline smiled brightly, floating over to him. "Sup Paps" she said.

"Marceline!" he said, giving her a hug, while only giving Hunson, who was gazing at him with contempt, a brief glance. "How's my favorite granddaughter doing?" he said.

"Oh, you know, good and stuff" she said, floating back to her seat. Hunson interrupted with a deliberately loud cough. "Ahem" he said. "Me and Marceline were just having Thanksgiving together" Hexon took the seat next to Marceline. "You know, I'm not sure what Thanksgiving is, but if it's a chance to say hello to my granddaughter, I like it" he said with a smile. "So, has my little girl fulfilled her birthright and taken over the Nightosphere, plunging the worlds above us into chaos and anarchy?" he asked. Marceline leaned back in her chair. "Actually, I don't really want to" she said.

Hexon suddenly looked like he had been kicked extremely hard in the rear. "What do you mean? Surely your father would want the only remaining heir of the family to take over the business..." he looked over at Hunson, growling lightly and revealing his razor-sharp teeth to him. "Actually, I let my daughter make her own decisions. Isn't that right, Marceline?"

"Yeah dad, whatever" she said, yawning. "So, pops, tell me that one story again? The one where you ate that one guy's soul..."

"There's a lot of stories like that" Hexon said, letting out a warm laugh. "But first, I have to see your daddy in private, alright?"

"Sure" Marceline said, nodding.

Hexon grabbed Hunson by the tie, dragging him into the next room. "You mean you let her get away with stomping all over family tradition?" he hissed through teeth so gritted that he only opened them to punctuate his sentence with the hiss of his serpentine tongue. "Marceline's a big girl now, she can choose for herself" he said sternly, although he sounded slightly fearful. "That would be fine and all if she wasn't the last living heir in the family! If some do-gooder decides to come down here and slay the both of us, the Nightosphere will be without a ruler!"

Hunson sighed. The only thing keeping his relationship with Marceline from devolving into more bitterness and detachment was the fact that he allowed her to choose what she wanted to do with her life. If he took that away from her, she would hate him forever. "Why don't you talk to her? She likes you better anyways"

Hexon huffed. "Fine, I'll do it...with my art of... subtlety" he stuck his tongue out, hissing as he slid away, back towards the table. He took his seat next to Marceline again, while Hunson returned to his seat, which was positioned as far away from his daughter as was possible. "So, Marceline, why don't you want to rule the Nightosphere, exactly?" he asked, forcing a smile. "Oh, just not my thing, all that responsibility and stuff"

"Well, responsibility is part of being an adult. I was once a young, wild, free spirit like you, playing guitar and whatnot..."

Marceline giggled. "Grandpa, you know I have a bass"

"Whatever" he said. "The point is, I grew older, and realized that, as the last heir to the Nightosphere, it was my right and responsibility to take care of it"

"I don't see why I even need to take it over. I mean, dad is immortal and stuff" Hunson snarled from across the table. "But what if your dad gets hurt or captured? What then?"

Marceline sighed. "Can't dad just, produce another child or something?" Hexon laughed. "Marceline, you know he can't do that"

"I don't get why I should be held responsible for something when _dad _messes something up" she said "dad" with a bit of aggression that caused Hunson to shift awkwardly in his chair. "Well, you think that your life right now is fun? Well, let me tell you about the joys of the Nightosphere!" he leapt to his feet gleefully, grabbing Marceline by her hand. "Look into my eyes" he commanded. Marceline stared at him, eventually getting lost in the glassy orbs that were his eyes. She saw various images of her grandpa sucking souls on the mortal realm, creating jets of fire to perpetuate the chaos of the Nightosphere, and playing guitar on top of a mountain while a blazing skeleton played the drums"

"Listen pops, that looks fun and all, but I just don't think it's for me"

"Well, how do you know? You haven't tried it yet"

"What do you mean, tried it?" Marceline said, leaning in with curiosity. "Well, I'll give you my pendant. It's a special kind. You'll be filled with chaotic energy, but you'll still be able to control yourself. Suck a few souls here and there, cause a bit of chaos, and be back here in an hour. Then, tell me if it's really not your thing"

Marceline sighed. Hexon reached into his tunic, and pulled out the pendant. He placed it around her neck.

Marceline took in a deep breath, before tentacles of pure, chaotic darkness enveloped her. She could never quite describe the sensation. It seemed most comparable to trying to wake up from a nightmare, but watching helplessly as the horrible sights within the nightmare became worse and worse. She finally found herself transformed. She looked down at her hands, waving them out in front of her. "Good" she thought. "I still have control" she looked at Hexon, who was currently beneath her, grinning, and at her dad, who had his arms crossed.

"Let me help you" Hexon said, drawing a phil face and dowsing it with bug milk. "M_aloso vobiscum et cum spiritum_!" he uttered, opening a portal back to Earth. Marceline found the portal hard to squeeze through given her current, monstrous form, but finally managed to get into the outside. She was in the middle of an open field, the only living thing in sight being a horse that appeared to suffer from serious poo-brain. Marceline lumbered in its direction, finally reaching the clueless animal. She opened her mouth, about to suck the soul in, but felt a surge of guilt. "What am I doing?" she thought. "This isn't me. I hate to disappoint grandpa, but..." she removed the pendant from around her neck, turning back into her regular form. The chaotic energy was banished back into the pendant, which she shoved into her pocket. She drew a face in the grass, and after a brief trip back to her house for the bug milk, created herself a flaming portal back into the Nightosphere.

She floated through the portal, back to her family. "Well, that was awfully quick" Hexon said. "So, was being the Lord of the Nightosphere any fun?" he said with a hopeful grin on his face. Marceline dropped the pendant onto his lap. "Actually, pops, I just don't think I can bring myself to do everything required. But, now I do truly know what I want, so thanks for that, pops, I appreciate it"

"Y...you...what?" he growled. "Young lady, if you're not willing to accept responsibility, I'm going to pound the responsibility into you!" Hexon put the pendant around his neck, transforming into his demonic state. He appeared to be a shorter version of Hunson's demonic form, besides his eyes being a deeply vicious shade of red, and his head being a shade of sickly pink. His tentacles thrashed about as he leaned in towards Marceline, picking her up in his mighty hand.

"Can't you just let the girl do what she wants?" Hunson screamed at his father. "You were never responsible either, never listening to me. If it wasn't for that pendant, you would still be nothing more than an obnoxious little teenager with no concept of authority!" he slammed his fist into the ground, Hunson managing to avoid it with a nibble roll to the side. Hunson pulled out his own pendant. "I hate to do this, old man" he said, placing it over his neck.

Hexon raised his hand again, only to find his arm in the vice-grip of his son, now in his demonic form. Hunson swung his massive, open palm at his father, giving him a bitter slap across the face. "If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have this globbing awful job! I never wanted to rule the Nightosphere! I wanted to be an artist! But no, you had to brainwash me into becoming your perfect little heir, because you were to lazy to rule the Nightosphere yourself!" he said with another blow. "But that's not enough for you! Then you have to drag my daughter into this! Well, I'm not as selfish as you! I don't crush my children's dreams just because I can't handle anything myself! And after all of that, Marceline still loves you more!" He finished his father off with a punch between the eyes, sending Marceline flying out of his hand, and causing his father to topple over. Marceline floated over to her grandpa, removing the pendant from his neck. He awoke with a cough. "I'm sorry, Hunson, I never meant to treat you like that. And Marceline, your father's right. Ruling the Nightosphere isn't the only thing this family is good for. I shouldn't force my stupid old ways on a new generation"

Hunson sighed. "It's fine, dad. All is forgiven" Marceline turned to Hunson. "And dad, I don't love Hexon more. It's just, I never talked to you because I was always afraid that you didn't like me"

Hunson embraced his daughter. "Marcy, there's nothing in the entire universe that I love more than you"

"Oh dad, that's so corny" Marceline said, hugging him back. Marceline and Hunson felt Hexon wriggle between them, eager to join in on the hug. "Oh, Hunson, I could take over the Nightosphere again if you want" he said.

Hunson stroked his chin. "Only for a day. I want to spend some more time with my daughter" he said, smiling at Marceline. Hexon nodded, while Marceline and Hunson took the first step on their day together. And there was no doubt in anyone's mind that they all loved each other.


End file.
